Llewellyn's 2012 Witches' Companion Page 2

  Putting King Cotton’s Pollution In Its Place

  Put simply, cotton is not very ecologically (or economically) sensible. Heavily taxing to the land on which it grows, this “King of Crops” causes erosion, mineral depletion, and toxicity. Cannabis, however, leaves the dirt aerated, in place, chemical-free, and stocked with nutrients. Unlike cannabis, which is naturally resistant to pests, weeds, and disease, cotton is highly prone to such menaces and requires a large quantity of costly, often toxic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in order to thrive. Although it comprises only 2.5 percent of the world’s farmland, cotton crops use 16 percent of the world’s insecticides.* These toxins seep into soil and contaminate waterways. Cotton is also more susceptible to drought than is the hardy hemp plant, with a single dry season capable of wiping out entire cotton crops.

  With just one acre of hemp producing as much viable fiber for textiles as two to three acres of cotton, farmers could get greater value from less land, maximizing profits. As for quality, cotton just doesn’t cut it. Cannabis is three times stronger and is more durable, breathable, and flame retardant; from a magickal perspective, the mystical energies inherent in hemp cloth make it ideal for ritual wear. Instead of letting pesticides pollute the planet and allowing cotton to devastate the land, we could be making our clothing and other textiles in a much greener fashion and healing the land at the same time with good, green hemp.

  Biodegradable Pot Plastics

  It’s true: the mighty herb can even be used to fashion high-quality, non-toxic, biodegradable plastic products of virtually any shape. Most plastic is made from cellulose, typically derived from petroleum through a difficult and highly polluting process. Such petroleum-based plastic does not degrade easily and can stay in our landfills for years. But petroleum isn’t the only source of cellulose; the substance is also found in plants, and cannabis produces more of it than any other botanical. Hemp can be made into toys, dishes, soda bottles, CD cases, packing materials, cellophane, insulation, and even car bodies. Used today in the manufacturing of door panels and other components by several European carmakers, hemp-based plastic is stronger than steel.

  This isn’t new technology. In 1941, Henry Ford demonstrated that his car built from hemp-based plastic could withstand many more blows from a sledgehammer without denting than could a steel-bodied car. Cars made with the built-in benefits of cannabis are less likely to be crushed in an accident, and they also weigh less, resulting in significantly better fuel economy.

  For the magickal community, cannabis plastics bring advancements. The incenses, essential oils, and loose herbs we buy for use in magick could be packaged in eco-friendly, biodegradable bags and bottles made of hemp-based plastic, better preserving and even boosting the magickal power of the product. Instead of cutting down trees to make tarot cards, altars, and incense burners, why not make those products out of fast-growing, truly renewable hemp?

  As our dumps steadily fill up with refuse that will last many lifetimes, we look for alternatives that are kinder to the earth, and products that leave a minimal impact on the planet. Biodegradable, recyclable pot plastics fit the mold.

  Better Biofuel

  With carbon emissions from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles doing their share in overheating the atmosphere and keeping our skies smog-filled, cleaner burning biofuels have become the solution for a growing number of drivers. Carbon monoxide emissions from standard diesel are 47 percent higher than carbon monoxide emissions from biodiesel, a fuel created from heated plant parts called biomass. With hemp growing to heights of 15 feet in seventy to ninety days, it’s the world’s top producer of biomass, capable of yielding up to ten tons per acre in only a few short months. Using the hemp plant as a biofuel creates a closed carbon cycle, as the plants absorb as much carbon dioxide while living as they release when burned, an effect that offers hope to a planet facing the formidable challenge of reducing the impact of global warming.

  Another advantage of hemp biodiesel becomes clear in the face of a crisis such as the 2010 BP oil spill. If a similar amount of pure hemp biodiesel had made its way into water, over 85 percent of the fuel would have fully degraded naturally in just twenty-eight days.

  Hemp is a traditional ingredient in the witch’s broom, but it can power our everyday, non-magickal vehicles in a way that doesn’t hurt Mother Earth.

  Cannabis Cities?

  As witches in tune with nature, it can be a bit depressing to contemplate the sheer volume of concrete that is plastered on our planet. Good for skateboarding, yes, but that concrete tends to leave scars on the environment that stick around long after the skateboarders are harassed by the police and sent home. Traditional concrete can emit low-level radiation for generations after its original manufacturing, and the amount of sand, rock, and toxic coal byproducts required to make traditional concrete is remarkable. In comparison, concrete and other building materials made from cannabis are safer and are derived from a renewable, sustainable resource.

  Hemp can be made into virtually any building material, from concrete and insulation to pipes, plywood, paint, and stucco. Hemp-made homes are energy-efficient and durable while minimizing the need for more environmentally taxing and toxic materials. Buildings utilizing hemp materials in the walls and structure have a natural elasticity that may be especially well-suited for areas prone to earthquakes; instead of breaking or cracking, a hemp-made structure is more likely to sway and flex when the ground shakes.

  There is also the magickal benefit to consider. As a witch, do you feel that living in an environmentally friendly, hemp-made home would support your magickal and psychic powers better than would a house made of polluting products derived by ravaging the environment? What benefits would you enjoy? What, if any, would be the drawbacks? Building our cities out of cannabis might seem like a pipe dream, but it’s a pipe dream well worth pursuing.

  Cannabis and the Sun

  Could cannabis help humans combat negative health effects caused by ozone depletion? Some theorists say yes, linking the effects commonly caused by UVB radiation sickness to benefits shown in many people who take cannabis medicinally. An interesting feature of the cannabis plant is that the more UVB radiation it receives, the more THC it produces, and according to Alan Gordon, founder of the American Drug History Institute (and holder of a degree in Drug Policy, Hemp, and the Environment from Pennsylvania State University), THC provides the human body with relief from UVB radiation sickness symptoms and offers future protection against the sun’s most damaging rays. Further research may lead to valuable discoveries.

  Providing fiber, fuel, food, and medicine, and containing a tremendous amount of inherent magickal power, cannabis is one of the most useful plants on Earth, and it’s a key to healing the planet. As witches, we are stewards of nature, and if we really want to, we have the power to change the world.

  Resources, Accessed August 2010

  Benhaim, Paul. “Hemp Plastics Show Their Mettle.” Hemphasis. http://www.hemphasis.net/Building/plasticmettle.htm.

  Hemphasis. “Chronology of Hemp Throughout History.” http://www.hemphasis.net/History/history.htm.

  Briggs, Jeremy. “Hemp: A Complete Food.” Hemphasis. http://www.hemphasis.net/Nutrition/nutrition.htm.

  Body Ecology. “Hemp: Is This Nutty Food Source Good for You?” http://www.bodyecology.com/08/04/10/hemp_nutty_food_source_good_for_you.php.

  North American Industrial Hemp Council. “Hemp Facts.” http://www.naihc.org/hemp-information/286-hemp-facts.

  Soiferman, Ezra. “Hemp Facts.” Hemp Farm. http://hempfarm.org/Papers/Hemp_Facts.html.

  Loos, Jessica. “Freedom Fighter of the Month: Alan Gordon: UV-B, Pot, the Law, and You.” High Times No. 271. March 1998: letters.

  Melanie Marquis is a lifelong practitioner of magick. She is the author of The Witch’s Bag of Tricks and the founder of United Witches global coven. A regul
ar writer for the American Tarot Association and for Llewellyn’s popular annuals, her work has appeared in many publications including Pentacle Magazine, Witches and Pagans, and Circle. A full-time mother, witch, and environmentalist, she’s passionate about finding the mystical in the mundane through personalized magick and practical spirituality. www.melaniemarquis.com, www.unitedwitches.org, www.facebook.com/melaniemarquisauthor.

  Illustrator: Kathleen Edwards

  *EJF. 2007. The Deadly Chemicals in Cotton. Environmental Justice Foundation in collaboration with Pesticide Action Network. U.K. London. ISBN 1-904523-10-2.

  Syncretism

  Versus Eclecticism

  Gede Parma

  I describe my personal path as syncretic rather than eclectic. I do so because I meaningfully, and with purpose, weave the diverse strands that inspire me into an aligned and conscious whole that is an expression of my unique self as a voyager through life. By identifying myself as syncretic, I believe I effectively communicate the dynamic of my personal spiritual path as holistic and impassioned with integrity and will. This is consistent with the Oxford Dictionary definition of syncretism, which speaks of the syncretic philosophy and practice as “the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.” The ultimate goal is fusion—a union of a multitude of sources and schools of thought that relate to the individual, group, or culture. This is opposed to eclecticism, which Oxford defines as a philosophy that selects “doctrines from various schools of thought,” with no aim of integration.

  The ultimate goal is fusion—a union of a multitude of sources and schools of thought that relate to the individual, group, or culture.

  In past Pagan civilizations, we can regard the Hellenic/Greek world as extremely syncretic. The example that bears the most relevance to our world and culture today would be the Ptolemaic-founded city of Alexandria on the banks of the Nile delta. Alexandria was not only one of the busiest and most successful trading centers in the Alexandrian-Greek and later Roman world, it was also a melting pot of cultures and customs. The Kemetic (Egyptian) traditions of the people of the two lands gradually melded with the Greek and Homeric civic-approved ceremony, theology, and cosmology to create interesting additives to the overall tradition. One example of this is the striking figure of Serapis (Osiris in his fullness) who was identified with Amun, Zeus, Apis (the bull deity of Memphis), and Hades and was worshipped as the rising and dying vital force of the Nile.* Effectively speaking, a new deity was born that both politically and culturally united the Egyptians and the Greeks. Serapis represented to Ptolemaic Egypt the overt anthropomorphism of the Hellenes fused with the grand lineage of localized spirits and cults that sustained the spiritual life of desert communities connected only by trade, whispered political rumors, and new gods. Many would consider the theology of identifying foreign deities with one’s own pantheon in archetypal/sovereign-role resonance, as was the trend of the Roman emperors, a severely eclectic attribute; however, the compartmentalization of deities as relegated by role and aspect is a personal attitude that is not confined to either syncretics or eclectics. I personally know many eclectics who consider each deity a discrete and autonomous being within the Great Web.

  I must make it clear that I do not regard self-professed eclectics as lesser or misinformed than myself. Unfortunately, over the past twenty or so years, the term eclectic as a spiritual indicator in the NeoPagan world has been tarnished by the misconception that eclectics are rampant “mish-mashers.” For example, the common stereotype of an eclectic is an individual who misappropriates cultural customs and traditions and expresses that “whatever works” is the only factor for inclusion. Therefore, an eclectic may cast a Wiccan Circle, smudge with desert sage, and call upon Kali, while offering Kali bananas without concern for congruence or context, respect for cultural origins, or consideration of the efficacy of such things. While this is largely a stereotype, it is a gradual trend within NeoPaganism to casually adopt such an attitude.

  All syncretists, by virtue of our nature, generally derive experience and inspiration from an eclectic framework.

  Scott Cunningham first published Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner in 1988 through Llewellyn Publications. Though Wicca was not the first book of its kind to offer an unbound and eclectic Wiccan framework, it was and is the most popular and has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide. I believe the ethics of integrity and the attitude of revolution underlined by respect found in Cunningham’s books are the true essence and purpose of eclecticism: a spirit unbound by conservative dogma and doctrine, allowing for the inclusion and celebration of personal insight and gnosis, while actively seeking out the eternal wisdom of the worlds. This is definitely my framework, and as an avowed syncretist, I make the following point: All syncretists, by virtue of our nature, generally derive experience and inspiration from an eclectic framework.

  Without having first been exposed to a world of infinite possibility and plurality, we are left void of any or all external forms or forces that may inspire, move, and challenge us. We begin a journey by first looking around the place in which we stand (the formative state of mind); we cast the Circle by taking in the horizon at all four directions and gesturing to the Above and then to the Below. Only at the culmination of this do we come to the center within—the womb of gestation, fermentation, and creation. The shadow-pooled refuge beneath the mighty Tree (which is the center within all things, including each of us) that popular Pagan author Christopher Penczak refers to as the place of rotting. This is the process by which we collect all that is of, by, and through us and allow it to mold, rot, and form organic compost. From this compost, potent seeds will grow into powerful trees, reflecting back to us the unique expression of spirit that is “I.” It is here that the eclectic path becomes syncretic holism.

  Those who know me personally and who have waxed eloquent with me on all manner of things relating to spirituality and magick would tend to regard me as a bit traditional, but also as a visionary who seeks wholeness and fullness in all things. My personal weekly ritual devotion is a testament and perfect expression of my spirituality and its nature.

  During my devotional, I will perform a reconstructed and re-envisioned Greek cleansing of space rite; align with my ancestors and my spirits/deities of blood; honor Hekate as sovereign queen of witches and the Three Worlds; call in the Fey, spirits of place, the Tuatha, and the Shining Ones; cast a Circle thrice about in the name of Hekate and acknowledge and call in the elemental powers and guardians; and honor and align with my spirits/deities of breath/spirit.† I will then speak a prayer and carry on with the making and blessing of offerings, the casting of spells, vision-journeying, trance work, etc. This ritual form has retained a basic skeleton for nearly six years, but has always been open to adaptation as I grow and evolve, forge new allyships‡ with the spirits and receive new insights and inspirations. There are elements of Hellenic ritual; Stregheria, Faerie, and Celtic ways; WildWood witchcraft; Balinese magick; and British Traditional Wicca in my devotion and thus in my path as a living thing. What makes these different traditions and cultures a part of the wholeness that is me is the consciousness I apply in creating a pathway that both grounds and refreshes me. I create in response to spiritual stimulus (either internal or external, if there is a difference) and so walk a path that is not the product of a mechanistic worldview, but of a magickal and mythical appreciation for the synchronicity and interconnection in life.

  Syncretism demands that we uphold the ethics of integrity, that we abide by the laws of congruence rather than conformity, and that we honor and revel in the infinite realms of possibility as our primal foundation rather than as a transcendent ideal. A true eclectic, as Christopher Penczak postulates in his Living Temple books (Llewellyn), should aspire to know and experience all the manifold sources and streams that inspire and stimulate the mind, heart, soul, and body. As alw
ays, there is a fine line between spiritual syncretism and eclecticism. Journey well and blessed be.

  Gede Parma is a Witch, initiated Priest, and award-winning author. He is an initiate and teacher of the WildWood Tradition of witchcraft, a hereditary healer and seer with Balinese-Celtic ancestry, and an enthusiastic writer. Gede is a keen student of natural health therapies with a deep interest in herbal healing and nutrition. He is currently pursuing a bachelor of health science degree in these fields. He is the proud partner of a beautiful Virgo man and the devoted priest of the goddesses Persephone, Aphrodite, and Hekate. His spiritual path is highly syncretic and incorporates elements of traditional shamanism, Balinese Hinduism, British-Celtic witchcraft, Stregheria, Greek Paganism, Feri, Reclaiming, and WildWood witchcraft. You can visit Gede at www.gedeparma.com.

  Illustrator: Christa Marquez

  * Serapis was a king-force who held within himself the glorious lineage of Hades, King of the Underworld and collector of souls, and the multiple and diverse strengths and aspects of the native rising-dying deities. This was a God who had existed in many times and places prior to his birth in Alexandrian Egypt, but who became something apart from and autonomous within himself.

  † My Gods of Breath/Spirit are those beings which I relate to on levels which aren’t immediately apparent and are not directly related to my genetic ancestry. I tend to experience my Gods of Breath as karmic (e.g. past lives and devotions, etc.).